Tintic, Empire Mines

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This page was last updated on March 1, 2026.

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Overview

(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the mines of the Empire Mines Company, as visible in photographs, as well as a general description of the mine, with minimal coverage of the geology and financial returns. Also to establish a timeline using sources not previously readily available.)

Empire Mines Company

March 27, 1917
The Empire Mines company filed its articles of incorporation, owning 600 acres, having merged eight Tintic properties. It is probable that development operations will be taken up first in the Lower Mammoth workings." The directors and officers were: Jesse Knight, president; J. William Knight, vice president; W. Lester Mangum, secretary and treasurer; with additional directors Mrs. Amanda M. Knight, R. E. Allen, K. S. Jordan, J. S. Smith. Eight properties: Opex; Lower Mammoth; Tennessee Rebel; Central Mammoth; Boston and Tintic; Garnet; Old Colony and Eureka; Black Jack; and seventeen mining claims, which have all been merged by vote of the stockholders and sale of the individual claims. (Salt Lake Herald, March 29, 1917; Salt Lake Tribune, March 30, 1917)

On April 23, 1917, Jesse Knight gave this list of the mines that were part of his larger Empire Mines Company, recently formed as a consolidation of his interests. (Provo Daily Herald, April 23, 1917)

May 17, 1917
From the Salt Lake Tribune, May 18, 1917.

Provo. May 17. - Mr. Knight has always had great faith in this part of the district and showed his faith by his works when he rounded up 700 acres of patented ground and organized the Empire Mines company, and further by buying 50,000 shares of the treasury stock in the meeting of the directors held on May 10. He states that the company did not need the money, but might need it to prosecute the big development campaign, which has been undertaken, and then he bought it at 40 cents a share, regarding it a good investment.

Mr. Knight said that development work will be undertaken at five different points as a beginning. Two drifts are already being run and three more will be started next week. The two on which work is now being done are one from the Lower Mammoth ground into the Black Jack to open the Black Jack 600 feet lower than work previously done on that property, and the other running north in the Lower Mammoth ground to open the Gem channel of the Centennial Eureka which, it is believed, extends into Empire Mines ground and from which great quantities of ore have been taken by the Centennial Eureka.

The drifts on which work is about to be commenced are two from the Iron Blossom into the Carisa ground, one on the 1500 and one on the 1900 level; a third drift will be from the Old Star shaft into Central Mammoth ground.

Leasers are taking out ore from the Black Jack and the Lower Mammoth, which will help the company to pay development expenses, and, in addition, the company has cash in the treasury and 1,500,000 shares of treasury stock to draw on for development purposes.

June 20, 1917
"From Provo comes word, at the consummation of the Carisa deal at a price of $115,000. Deeds were filed yesterday [June 20th]. The Carisa property has been purchased by the new Knight company, the Empire Mines. The Carisa in early days paid out $60,000 in dividends. It owned 57 acres adjoining the new merger." (Deseret News, June 21, 1917)

January 15, 1918
"The Empire Mines Company is a new incorporation of 1917. Its holdings are a merger of the Black Jack, Carisa, Opex, Lower Mammoth, Garnet, Tennessee Rebel, Central Mammoth, Boston & Tintic and Old Colony & Eureka, together with sixteen additional claims, making an estate of over 600 acres. Practically all the work done since the consolidation has been carried on through the Lower Mammoth shaft, and it is said that the development work is proving very encouraging. The figures at hand show that Empire Mines produced 127 carloads during 1917, in addition to twenty-three shipped by the Carisa, fifteen by the Lower Mammoth and nine by the Black Jack before the consolidation was effected. Jesse Knight is general manager and E. F. Birch is assistant manager." (Salt Lake Mining Review, January 15, 1918)

December 12, 1918
As of December 12, 1918, the Empire Mines company had 26 of its separate mining claims under lease to D. Barnes, L. A. Brady, and Peery Clark. Many had recognizable names, such as: Dam-If-I-Care; South Eureka No. 1 and No. 2; Carisa; Victor; Miner's Delight; and the Northern Spy. (Deseret News, December 12, 1918, shows the complete list as part of the Utah County tax rolls)

January 19, 1919
"Eureka, Jan. 18. — The Empire Mines company, which is a consolidation of several of the old Mammoth mines, is still at work in the drifts which were started some months ago in the lower workings of the Lower Mammoth mine. The development work is being carried along steadily, and recently some low-grade ore was encountered in one of the big veins which divide the Lower Mammoth and Opohongo properties. An effort is now being made to locate better values in this vein. Shipments of ore which are being credited to the Empire Mines company during the past few weeks have been coming from the old Spy property, which is now a part of the Empire group." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 19, 1919)

April 4, 1920
A drift had been driven from the Iron Blossom mine's 1700 level, into Empire Mines ground. Also, a drift had been driven from the former Lower Mammoth shaft into the south end of the Empire Mines ground. The drift from the Lower Mammoth shaft at the 1800 level in that mine had been started in the days when the Lower Mammoth had been owned by the Star Mining company. During the past week, this drift from the Lower Mammoth ground into the Empire Mines ground, had been passing through rock that was showing signs of commercial ore. (Salt Lake Herald, April 4, 1920)

June 20, 1920
"Empire Mines Company Stops Development Work. -- The development of the Empire mines ground through what is known as the Lower Mammoth shaft has been stopped temporarily, according to officials on the Knight companies, says the Eureka Reporter. The Empire Mines owns an exceptionally large tract of mineral land in the central part of the district and during the past few years has received quite a lot of development work, most of it through the Lower Mammoth shaft. Mr. Knight has always had a lot of confidence in the Empire Mines, and it is with reluctance that he has decided to suspend operations. The shutdown should be but a temporary one, however, as the ground is too valuable to long remain idle. Perhaps a campaign of work can be handled from one of the other properties of the Knight people." (Salt Lake Tribune, June 20, 1920)

(March 14, 1921 -- Jesse Knight passed away.)

April 17, 1925
"Empire Mines Company Shipping Some Dump Ore. - The shipments that have in recent weeks been credited to the Empire Mines have been coming from the dump at the Lower Mammoth and the dump at the Old Star property, both of which are embraced in the large tract owned by the Empire Mines company. It is understood that the Lower Mammoth dump has about been cleaned up but there is a large tonnage of fairly good ore at the Star and this means that shipments will continue for some time to come." (Eureka Reporter, April 17, 1925)

May 23, 1925
From the Deseret News, May 23, 1925.

Eureka, May 23. - H. R. Trenholm, mine manager for the Knight interests of Provo, states that everything is now in readiness for an extensive campaign of development work at the property of the Empire Mines company, which is considered a valuable tract of mineral land. The holdings of the company, amounting to over 1,000 acres, adjoin the Mammoth and the iron Blossom, are exceptionally well located.

Embraced in the Empire Mines group are such well known mines as the Lower Mammoth, Black Jack and Star Consolidated, and it is through the Lower Mammoth shaft that the new work is to be handled. The machinery has been put in order, two new cables each 2,400 feet in length were placed on the drums this week and all shaft repairs have been completed. This means that work can be started next Monday morning.

Thomas Chatwin, of Mammoth, who is familiar with the Lower Mammoth workings of the Empire Mines, will have charge of the work at the mine and according to Mr. Trenholm the first work will be taken up on the 1800 level where three very promising fissures were cut some years ago, but never developed to any extent. The shaft is 2,000 feet deep, hence it will be easy to handle any ore that may be found on the 1800 even though it makes below that point.

The upper levels of the Lower Mammoth will probably be turned over to lessees. That part of the mine has produced a lot of good ore and those most familiar with the property say many good bunches and stringers are now exposed. The same can be said of the Black Jack workings, which are to be connected with the Lower Mammoth on the most important levels.

It has been more than five years since the last work was performed in this part of the Empire Mines territory.

June 30, 1925
The Tintic Standard Mining company financed the expansion of the Empire Mines company by buying a large block of the stock of the Empire Mines company. The Tintic Standard company was controlled by the Raddatz interests and the Empire Mines company was controlled by the Knight interests, but both had large numbers of small and minority shareholders.

From the Salt Lake Mining Review, June 30, 1925.

The following report, just sent out to the shareholders of the Empire Mines Company, confirms the report that the Tintic Standard Company assisted in financing the campaign of work recently taken up in the Empire Mines ground and makes it certain that the control has or will pass to the Standard.

The report which follows is signed by J. William Knight and R. E. Allen, president and secretary respectively for the Empire Mines:

"At a meeting of the directors just recently held it was decided to resume operations at the company's property and work was immediately started in fixing up the equipment at the Lower Mammoth shaft. This shaft has a depth of 2000 feet and is equipped with a 200 h.p. electric hoist, the necessary cables, cages, cars, trackage and air lines, in fact, everything to be used in the development of the property.

"At the time work was discontinued some few years ago they had just completed driving a drift some 3000 feet east from the 1800 foot level of the Lower Mammoth shaft.

"The Empire Mines holdings consist of approximately 800 acres of ground, surrounded by such famous producers as the Mammoth, Grand Central, Iron Blossom and Dragon. The territory that is to be developed at this time comprises a section of the company's property in which very little work has been done and which now apparently proves to be some of the best undeveloped territory in the Tintic district, having to the north of it the Mammoth Mining Company now developing a very large body of newly discovered ore.

"It is our intention to continue a very active campaign of development work and in order to do this it is necessary for us to dispose of the remaining shares of the treasury stock which will be offered to the stockholders of the company.

"We might also state that the Tintic Standard Mining company has just recently purchased a considerable block of Empire Mines Company stock and will be represented on our board of directors."

December 26, 1925
The Empire Mines company had sent a drift over into the old Black Jack holdings and the work is showing some ore. The Empire company has sunk its shaft down to the 1300 level, and was continuing down to the 1800 level. Some ore had been shipped from the 1300 level. (Deseret News, December 26, 1925)

February 4, 1927
"Both the Victor Consolidated and the Gold Chain mining companies are working their ground through the shaft of the Empire Mines company, having penetrated their claims from the 1200 level. The Victor drift, the work of which is being handled by the Empire people, is looking exceptionally good, it having crossed a couple of mineralized fissures which may prove to be promising leads at some future time when they are developed more thoroughly." (Eureka Reporter, February 4, 1927)

July 3, 1929
Control of all holdings of the Knight Investment company of Provo in the Tintic mining district was acquired by the International Smelting company through its subsidiary, the North Lily Mining company, in a deal involving close to $1,000,000 and over 6000 acres of patented mining claims. The contract, signed on July 3rd by J. O. Elton, manager of the smelting company, and J. William Knight, of the Knight Investment company, provided that a new organization to be known as the North Lily Knight Mining company, with 3,000,000 shares, shall control and develop a total of 9,127 acres of former Knight property in the Tintic district. Included in the deal are the Twentieth Century, Big Hill, Empire Mines, Dragon Consolidated, Eureka Swansea, Middle Swansea, Swansea Consolidated, Tintic Drain Tunnel. (Salt Lake Tribune, July 4, 1929; Ogden Standard Examiner, July 4, 1929)

(Read more about the Empire Mines company after becoming part of the North Lily Knight company in 1929)

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